Major League Soccer set a new attendance record for the second consecutive year when the regular season wrapped up on Sunday, with a league-wide average of 21,574 fans per game over 340 games.
That mark breaks the previous record of 19,147 set in 2014, thanks in large part to strong numbers for expansion clubs Orlando City SC and New York City FC and for hugely improved numbers for the San Jose Earthquakes, playing in their new soccer-specific stadium for the first time in 2015.
An all-time high of 10 clubs averaged more than 20,000 fans per game, led by Sounders FC, who set a new single-season attendance record of 44,247 per game in 2015. A total of 7,335,053 fans attended games this season across the league.
Orlando City averaged 32,847 fans per game at the Orlando Citrus Bowl, a new expansion franchise record. NYCFC averaged 29,021 fans per game at Yankee Stadium.
San Jose, meanwhile, averaged 20,979 fans in the sparkling new Avaya Stadium, the long-awaited first soccer-specific stadium in that franchise's history.
There were a record 161 sellouts across the league this year, 28 more than the previous mark of 133 set in 2014.
2015 MLS Average Attendance
Seattle Sounders FC – 44,247
Orlando City SC – 32,847
New York City FC – 29,021
Toronto FC – 23,432
LA Galaxy – 23,392
Portland Timbers – 21,144
San Jose Earthquakes – 20,979
Houston Dynamo - 20,658
Vancouver Whitecaps – 20,507
Real Salt Lake – 20,159
Sporting Kansas City – 19,687
New York Red Bulls – 19,657
New England Revolution – 19,626
Montreal Impact – 17,749
Philadelphia Union – 17,451
Columbus Crew SC – 16,512
D.C. United – 16,244
Chicago Fire – 16,002
FC Dallas – 15,967
Colorado Rapids – 15,682
